This invention relates to diagonal bracing of framed wall panels and to a method of making such wall panels.
Building codes generally require diagonal bracing to rigidly brace the studs in framed wall panels. Wall panels constructed without adequate diagonal bracing tend to sway under heavy horizontal stress such as that occurring during earthquakes.
One prior art bracing technique is to cut separate wood blocks with angled ends and then fit the block diagonally between adjacent pairs of studs. This method requires time consuming mitering of the blocks to accurately form the angled end surfaces. Moreover, this method requires on-site toe-nailing of the blocks between the studs. Toe-nailing also is time consuming, and generally is done by skilled workmen who must be experienced in properly aligning the blocks on a common diagonal axis during nailing.
A second prior art bracing technique is to cut a series of notches in the front surface of a wooden brace, and then mount the brace diagonally across the studs so the studs fit into corresponding notches in the brace. After the diagonal brace is in place, the brace is toe-nailed to the studs. This technique also is time consuming and costly because of the mitering required to accurately fit the notched brace around the series of studs, and the on-site toe-nailing of the brace to the studs.
Because of the disadvantages in the two above-mentioned bracing techniques, framed wall panels today are commonly braced by a technique in which the face of each stud and the top and bottom plates are sawed and chiseled out by hand to form diagonally aligned recesses for receiving a diagonal brace member. The steps generally followed in constructing a framed wall panel using this method of bracing are as follows. (1) The top and bottom plates are measured and marked at 16 inch centers. (2) The studs are nailed to the top and bottom plates. (3) The ends of a 1-inch-by-6-inch wooden brace are saw cut at angles so the ends of the brace will be flush with the plane of the top and bottom plates when the brace is finally attached to the wall panel section. (4) The brace is placed diagonally across the face of the studs from the top plate to the bottom plate, and then temporarily tacked in place. (5) A hand saw is run along the opposite edges of the brace from the top plate to the bottom plate to make a 3/4-inch cut in the studs and plates at each side of the brace. (6) The brace is removed. (7) The area between the two saw cuts is then chiseled out by hand to form diagonally aligned recesses for receiving the brace. (8) The brace is then fitted into the recesses and temporarily tacked in place. (9) The wall frame section is raised and placed in its desired position, after which it is squared, plumbed, and then held in place by nailing a second plate above the top plate. (10) The brace is then nailed to each stud and the top and bottom plates. Building codes generally require that two nails be used at each nailing location.
This prior art bracing method is time consuming and costly. It requires above five times as much time as the bracing method of the present invention, and is often a two-man job.
Moreover, the bracing provided by the prior art method is not as structurally sound as that provided by the present invention, especially because the step of chiseling out the recesses by hand is often done inaccurately and incompletely, and as a result, the only structural connection between the brace and the studs is provided by the nails.